Measurement and Characterization of Gelbstoff Optical Properties as a Water Mass Tracer in Coastal Regions
Abstract
LONG-TERM GOAL. To use the optical properties of dissolved organic matter as a tracer of small scale physical mixing processes. OBJECTIVES. To assess the effects of biological, physical and chemical processes on CDOM concentrations and optical properties in coastal areas and determine over what temporal and spatial scales these optical properties are conservative. To use optical properties of CDOM to identify component species of DOM in situ in coastal regions. APPROACH. In the past 20 years, deployments of bio-optical instrumentation have provided a wealth of information pertaining to interaction between physical processes and distribution of phytoplankton cells (Denman and Powell 1984), including demonstrations of extremely small-scale structures (Cowles et al. 1993). We propose to expand the use of optical measurements for elucidation of physical mixing processes by including CDOM fluorescence, which behaves conservatively in most coastal regions over a wide range of salinities. Measurements of inherent optical properties of colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM), including fluorescence efficiency, will be made both in situ and on discrete samples to identify and measure characteristic CDOM species at the Coastal Mixing and Optics study site in the North Atlantic Ocean. Simultaneous in situ measurement of phytoplankton pigments will be used to assess the degree of covariation between dissolved and particulate optical signals and to describe conditions responsible for observed distributions.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 30, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA634205
Entities
People
- Paula G. Coble
Organizations
- University of South Florida